A Gap in Memory
by moonswirl
Summary: Gleekathon, day seven hundred and twenty-six:  Glee/Doctor Who  In New York, Kurt runs into a familiar redhead he once met at the Gap.


_Started my daily ficlets to make the hiatus pass, then decided to keep going with a 2nd cycle, and then a 3rd, 4th, etc through 34th cycle. Now cycle 35!_

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><p><strong>YEAR TWO ANNIVERSARY CYCLE!<strong> - Within days it will have been two years since I've started this Gleekathon, and like last year I'm dedicating the cycle to commemorating my 21 favorite one shots or chapter stories from year two (up to the point where I did the planning ;)) A number of those I was very attached to, but left sad to see may have fallen through the cracks, so it seems fair they should get a second shot ;)

Last year there were three categories, but this year I've added two new ones: **Prequel**, **Sequel**, **POV Swap**, and now **Alternate Ending**, and **Additional Scenes**. In no particular order... **Today's story** is a Sequel to #549 "Oh Doctor, Doctor" _a Glee/Doctor Who crossover + Klaine + 10th Doctor & Donna story originally posted on April 23rd 2011._

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><p><strong>"A Gap In Memory"<br>Kurt, Donna/Shaun  
>GleeDoctor Who (sequel) **

He did try to focus on Nationals and just that, now that they had arrived in New York, dear New York, dreamed New York, but there was still something missing for him, to make it all really perfect… He missed Blaine. Even being from rivalling Glee Clubs now, his own journey from Sectionals, to Regionals and on, it had been with him, with the Warblers. Now he was here, back with New Directions, and part of it didn't feel earned. He had been defeated at Regionals, but then he'd transferred back to McKinley and into Nationals contention. So he was happy to be there, but he missed Blaine… even more as a boyfriend than as a teammate.

They had been left to make a quick trip around the city before they would check in to their hotel, and after stopping to eat with the rest of the club and being given false hope over Rachel's 'Cats' ticket mix up, he remembered he'd promised Blaine he would pick up a couple of items for him, so he left the club behind and went in search of the shops. He had a list, he had directions, nothing could stand in his way.

He heard laughter, and then he stopped… No, but he knew this voice, he… It took a moment but then he found her, standing back in the shop he'd just left. He couldn't believe it, of all the places… Even if they'd only spoken… for barely a minute, months ago, he knew without a doubt that it was her. The red hair, the accent, that voice… He beamed with excitement.

He'd never known her name, something he realized only after he'd left her. He'd wished he'd known it, so he could thank her, really thank her. He hadn't expected to see her again, but still… She had approached him, at the Gap, while he was moping over watching Blaine talk to Jeremiah, silly Jeremiah, foolish Jeremiah, and she had spoken to him… with so much kindness and knowing… he had opened up to her right away. After what she'd told him, he had ditched his sad mood and gone back to Blaine, trusting again that no matter what happened now, he wasn't giving up. And eventually this perseverance had paid off, and now he had a boyfriend waiting back in Lima he would brave unknown streets to get trinkets for. If New York hadn't shown itself to be a land for miracles and dreams come true yet, then it was working overtime in this shop.

He took a few steps toward the woman. He could already see some things had changed, though there was no way for him to understand why. For one thing, she wasn't with the tall guy in the long coat anymore, as he watched her talking and laughing still with the black man at her side… this had to be her boyfriend, or… Husband – he saw the ring. It might have eluded others, but he noticed her style of clothes had changed, not drastic, but it looked more… expensive. Not that she'd been dressed in rags before, but there was a difference. And the closer he got, it looked as though… They had met just months before… Why did it look like she'd aged a few years?

"Excuse me?" he stopped next to them, trying not to startle them. The woman and her husband turned.

"Oh, terribly sorry, are we blocking the aisle?" she asked, a passing glance that didn't seem to connect the way it had for him – maybe she hadn't recognized him.

"No, no, I… I'm sorry, maybe you don't remember me…"

"Should I?" she asked, searching his face, then pausing like she expected him to provide his name.

"Kurt," he spoke, smiling. She was drawing a blank. "A few months ago, in Lima, Ohio, the Gap…" Still nothing. "I was there with some friends from school, all with our blazers, we sang, we danced, and then you came and spoke to me."

"I'm sorry, you must have me confused with someone else," she sounded apologetic. He was speechless. She had to remember a bunch of boys in uniform singing in the middle of a store, maybe she wouldn't remember him specifically, but something like that… But it was her, that he was certain of.

"You were with this other man, tall, long coat, hair sort of…" he mimed over his head. If what he'd said so far had caused zero reaction, this one did something… for both of them, and it was odd…

The man hadn't exactly been ignoring him, but now he looked at Kurt, like he knew something but couldn't say. He had his hand on his wife's shoulder now, like he was concerned for her, and as Kurt looked at her, maybe he was concerned, too. She'd gotten this sort of faraway look, like her mind had gone away. Was this a secret? What if this other man was her lover, which was why she pretended not to know him… and now her husband was hearing about him? Had he let a secret out?

"I'm sorry, maybe I…"

"Donna?" the husband asked his wife, not angry but really just worried. And just like that, she'd snapped out of it. "Everything alright?"

"Yes, I… Yes, I just sort of… I'm fine," she told him, smiling reassuringly before turning back to Kurt. "I'm really sorry, I wish I could help you…"

"Don't worry about it," Kurt just replied, still lost as to what had happened. "Sorry to bother you, enjoy New York."

"No bother at all," she promised, and right then he could see that kind smile he'd seen back at the Gap… no mistaking it. Maybe something had happened to her, like… an accident, and now she had amnesia… "And the same to you," she told him. With that, Kurt supposed he might as well carry on his way. Though as he reached the door to exit the shop, he looked back, and he saw the woman – Donna, he now knew her name – back to browsing the shelves, but he saw her husband looking back at him, like he was the one who was sorry, like he knew what was really happening and couldn't say. Kurt gave him a smile and a nod and went on his way.

After they'd gotten together, Kurt had told Blaine about the woman, what she'd told him. He'd liked the story, also wishing they'd been able to see her again. Now he wondered if he should tell him he'd seen her again, that he'd learned her name… What would it do for him to hear she didn't remember them? Maybe it was better off for him to remember a mystery woman, kind stranger, who had kept him fighting for the one he li… loved…

THE END

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><p><strong>AN: This is a one-shot ficlet, which means that signing up for story alert will not bring you any alerts.  
><strong>**In the event of a sequel, the story will be separate from this one. And as chapter stories go, they are  
><strong>******always clearly indicated as such [ex: "Days 204-210" in the summary] Thank you!******


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